Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Heavy Haul in Milwaukee
Steel, wind components and project cargo to and from Port Milwaukee, trucked under WisDOT permits with pole vehicles and escorts planned by our own team.
This page is general information only, not legal advice and not a permit. Rules change often and each state's permit and official rules are the final word. Always confirm limits, escorts, routes and travel times with the state permit office before moving a load. Reliable Transport LLC is not responsible for decisions made using this information.
Great Lakes heavy haul
From the Seaway berth to the project site
Reliable Transport LLC runs heavy haul and superload moves across the USA and Canada from our home base in Dayton, Ohio. For a Milwaukee load, our in house team files the WisDOT permit and any local permit, plans the route and books the escorts, and plans the pole vehicle and escorts Wisconsin sets on tall and wide loads.
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerAt the port
Port Milwaukee breakbulk and heavy lift
Port facts come from Port Milwaukee commercial services pages, each confirmed by a second Port page.
Breakbulk and project cargo
Port Milwaukee handles steel, wind turbine components, transformers, mining equipment and other project cargoes, with over 330,000 square feet of covered warehouse space and more than 20 acres of general cargo capacity, rail connected to UP and CPKC. (Port Milwaukee, breakbulk and project cargoes, Port Milwaukee, heavy lift)
Heavy lift
The City Heavy Lift Dock stiff leg derrick lifts 440,000 lbs at a 52' radius, backed by crawler cranes up to 300 tons. (Port Milwaukee, heavy lift, Port Milwaukee, breakbulk and project cargoes)
Sources: Port Milwaukee, breakbulk and project cargoes; Port Milwaukee, heavy lift.
Wisconsin rules
Milwaukee oversize rules at a glance
The height rule first, then the Wisconsin rules every Milwaukee load runs under.
Wisconsin
Official sources linked| Where | Restriction |
|---|---|
| Height | Over 16'H, a pole vehicle. (WisDOT Minimum Standards for Escort Vehicles (7/9/2018)) |
| Legal limits | Without a permit, a load in Wisconsin can be up to 8'6"W and 13'6"H, at up to 80,000 lbs gross. (WisDOT Determine if a permit is required, Wis. Stat. 348.05, width, Wis. Stat. 348.06, height) |
| Escorts | By width and length on WisDOT's chart; over 15'W up to 16'W, 1 private escort; over 16'W up to 18'W, WisDOT's escort grid says 1 private escort and its TEOpS 13 2 10 guidance says 2, so your permit sets it. (WisDOT Minimum Standards for Escort Vehicles (7/9/2018), WisDOT TEOpS 13 2 10, escort guidelines) |
| Law enforcement | Over 18'W, over 200'L or over 350,000 lbs. (WisDOT Minimum Standards for Escort Vehicles (7/9/2018)) |
| Travel hours | Over 12'W, 13'6"H or 150'L: daylight only, and not from noon Saturday to sunrise Sunday. (WisDOT Hours of operation for permitted vehicles, Wis. Admin. Code Trans 254.11, times of operation) |
| Holidays | No travel for larger loads from noon the day before to sunrise the day after each restricted travel holiday. (Wis. Admin. Code Trans 254.11, times of operation, WisDOT 2026 holiday hours of operation) |
| Mega loads | Over 400,000 lbs, 22'W, 19'H or 220'L, with a route survey. (WisDOT Mega Load Guidelines (4/15/2017)) |
Rules change often. We checked these on October 5, 2026 against the official sources linked in each row, and each one against a second source. Rules we could not confirm twice are left off this page. Our permitting team confirms the current rules for every move.
Our moves
Heavy loads we have moved
These moves ran on other routes. They show the size of loads our team permits, routes and escorts.
150,000 lb transformer
Pocatello, ID - Akron, OH in early 2024, at 240,000 lbs gross and 16'H loaded, with help from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
110,000 lb switchgear building
Houston, TX - Los Angeles, CA in 2025, at 250,000 lbs gross and 185'L x 17'W x 17'H loaded.
207,000 lb dryer drum
Louisville, KY - Richmond, VA in December 2025, at 300,000 lbs gross and 165'L x 13'6"W x 17'H loaded, with a crew of 15.
Moving something in Milwaukee?
Send the size and weight. We will tell you what the permit, route and escorts look like.
Request a quote →See every move on our Moves page.
Questions
Milwaukee heavy haul questions
When does a Wisconsin load need a pole vehicle?
Over 16'H.
What can Port Milwaukee lift?
A stiff leg derrick rated 440,000 lbs at a 52' radius, plus crawler cranes up to 300 tons.
How heavy a load can you haul?
Our superload service handles loads up to 300,000 lbs, with permits, routing and escorts by our own team.
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerKeep planning
More for your Milwaukee move
Other Great Lakes pages
Great Lakes heavy haul
Ready to move it?
Send the load dimensions, weight, pickup and delivery points. Our in house team prices the permits, route and escorts and gets back to you fast.
This page is general information only, not legal advice and not a permit. Rules change often and each state's permit and official rules are the final word. Always confirm limits, escorts, routes and travel times with the state permit office before moving a load. Reliable Transport LLC is not responsible for decisions made using this information.